UFC, XFL have written blueprint for broadcasts when live sports return

UFC, XFL have written blueprint for broadcasts when live sports return

At this point, there are really only two certainties about the return of live sports: it'll revolve around testing capacity, and fans won't be a part of it.

Earlier this week, Los Angeles' stay-at-home order was extended indefinitely and the California State University system had already announced its fall semester would be run virtually. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer already said her state "won't be filling stadiums" this fall. Even in places like Arizona and Florida, where economies are beginning to reopen and politicians are explicitly lobbying for the leagues' business, fans currently aren't a part of the equation. It's no longer a matter of wondering whether fans will be let into stadiums this fall, but more-so what those fan-less broadcasts will look – and feel – like.

The good news, if you want to call it that, is we already have a blueprint – courtesy of the UFC. The league has already staged more than one fan-less event, and while the echoes of each corner yelling in an empty arena are undeniably eerie, the broadcasts have produced some great mic'd up moments that we otherwise wouldn't get:

Being extremely pleasant to one another while you literally knock the teeth out of each other is weirdly charming? Being professional and courteous while the oxygen to your brain is cut off feels way more impressive than any early-round knockout. UFC's not alone in that level of access, either. Before it shut down in early April, the XFL's up-close approach won fans over almost immediately:

Fans eat this stuff up even when they can see games in person, so imagine the demand for this type of content after 10 weeks with nothing. Even with a boring first round, the 2020 NFL draft was a ratings hit in part because of the very constraints that league planners and TV producers had to work with. Teams – and leagues in general – that embrace access and the content it allows will find fresh and imaginative ways to re-present themselves to fans, and the ones that still haggle over 18-second clips on Twitter will fall behind. Watching sports won't feel normal until there are fans back in seats, but that doesn't mean it has to be a bummer until then.

XFL is being forced to suspend league operations and lay off "nearly all" employees

XFL is being forced to suspend league operations and lay off "nearly all" employees

According to several reports, the XFL will be suspending all league operations, effective immediately.

On a Friday morning call with league employees, COO Jeffery Pollock also reportedly announced that everyone would be laid off:

NEWS: on a call today with COO Jeffery Pollock, XFL employees were just informed that the league is suspending operations and all employees have been laid off. Another sport impacted further by the current COVID-19 crisis.

It's heartbreaking news for those involved with the league, which was in the first season of its recent revival. Many of the altered rules the XFL implemented were instantly popular among football fans, and the league's social media accounts were becoming a hit.

XFL officially cancels the remainder of the 2020 season

XFL officially cancels the remainder of the 2020 season

The XFL officially announced their decision to cancel the remainder of the 2020 season on Friday with a letter from XFL Commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck, and President and COO Jeffrey Pollack. The move aligns with many other North American sports leagues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The XFL was one of the last active leagues remaining in North America, but they pointed out in the letter that, "recent local and state regulations have left the XFL no choice but to cancel the remainder of the 2020 season."

With the 2020 XFL season officially done, the Houston Roughnecks, coached by June Jones and led by standout quarterback P.J. Walker, finish with the league's best record at 5-0.